TV Hits! goes web only

The teen entertainment magazine TV Hits! will publish its last issue on October 4th. From then on the magazine will go online. 'TVHits! sold an average of 39,098 per issue in the first six months of 2007'. However the magazine is on the decline as an 8,000 drop in readership from the end of 2006' illustrates this. In turn the company wants to "take advantage of the enormous online potential by investing all their resources into a relaunched digital presence". This brings up the debate topic 'Are print magazines/text a dying form of media'. On this evidence, the anwsers yes and this is due to the 'enormous online potential'.
All companies want to continue their life cycle and this is done by making changes e.g. changing a company logo or bringing in new products, For example, first there was KitKat and now there is KitKat Orange, Dark, White, Mint. This extended the KitKat brand and has kept it going. In this case, the way forward for the magazine industry is converting to the internet and becoming more 'digital'.

• http://media.guardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/0,,2179532,00.html

YouTube gets 'Eastenders' licence

BBC Worldwide has extended its content licence with YouTube to include clips of EastEnders.

• http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/programming/a76289/youtube-gets-eastenders-licence.html

Virgin Media

• Who owns it…people and other organisations involved
  
  Source/s:
  1. http://www.virginmedia.com/about/
  2. http://www.answers.com/topic/virgin-media-inc?cat=biz-fin
  3. http://www.virgin.com/AboutVirgin/RichardBranson/WhosRichardBranson.aspx
  
  Moulded together by NTL Incorporated, Telewest Global, Inc (two large telly giants), added with Virgin mobile gives to you 'Virgin Media' (formally known as NTL) is the UK’s first ever “quadruple play” communications service provider. The company provides Broadband, Digital TV, Phone and Mobile services. Although the company provides its services for the UK, its headquarters’ are in New York. Virgin Media is currently owned by Richard Branson. In addition, outside of Virgin Media, Virgin has also branched into many other areas including travel and tourism, leisure, shopping, school environment, finance and money, health and more.
  



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• A History of the institution…how has it developed or changed
  

Source/s:

1. http://www.answers.com/Virgin+Media?cat=biz-fin

Virgin Media began as NTL (National Transcommunication Limited) which was founded in 1993. In the mid-2000, NTL were dealt a heavy blow as the telecommunications market had collapsed.


The company were on the down and in 2002; the company had to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to sort out the refinancing deal as the company were in $18bn debt. In 2004, they exited the chapter 11 protection, and the company made an operating profit. In the same year, NTL went on and bought the remaining shares of virgin.net.


The following year on October 3rd 05, NTL announced that the company had purchase Telewest becoming one of the largest media companies in the UK and in March 2006, the companies completed the merged and re-named themselves NTL: Telewest. This merger between the two telly giants would later become the beginning of Virgin media. And on December 06, negotiations between NTL: Telewest and Virgin Mobile began with the takeover being completed on July 2006. This was the beginning of the first ever 'quaqdruple play' media company, Virgin media providing Digital TV, Broadband, Phone and Mobile services. NTL agreed to adopt the ‘virgin’ name and November 2006, NTL: Telewest announced the name of the company being changed to ‘Virgin Media’ and so the ‘virgin media’ era began.

• The text it produces…give lots of examples

Virgin Media does not produce texts, it broadcast them.

• Information about its finances & income…provide actual data

Source/s:


1. http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ%3AVMED
2. http://library.corporate-ir.net/library/13/135/135485/items/257361/Q2-07_Analyst_presentation.pdf
3. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/13/135485/FINAL_VM_Q1_07_Press_Release.pdf
4. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/13/135485/reports/AnnualReport06.pdf

5. http://mwprices.ft.com/custom/ft2-com/html-quotechartnews.asp?subtab=&FTSite=FTCOM&q=VMED&searchtype=&expanded=&countrycode=US&s2=us&symb=VMED&sid=2603006&site=&company=NEW&selected=Virgin+Media+Inc

• Recent developments…how is it responding to the ‘new media age’.
  

Source/s:

1. http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/virgin1/preview.php
2. http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,,2176323,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=4
3. http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2176326,00.html
4. http://www.mad.co.uk/Main/News/Articlex/5c848f35338b4217b137c64ce3f0a16d/Virgin-Media-unveils-consumer-mag.html
5. http://www.answers.com/topic/setanta-sports

Virgin Media vs Sky

On October 1st 07 (next Monday), Virgin Media will be planning to broadcast a new channel titled ‘Virgin Media 1’. The channel will be aiming to compete directly with ‘Sky One’ by having the channel broadcast US shows e.g. ‘The Riches’ (starring Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard) and dramas e.g. Sara Connor Chronicles. Again, the company are battling Sky just like with Setanta. The channel will also be aiming to broadcast films including a ‘Terminator series’ and factual shows e.g. The Real Exorcist. In addition the channel will be the new home for the Star Trek brand. Keeping in mind that the company’s headquarters is located in New York illustrates that possibly the American influence in our media is demonstrated. In addition, Virgin Media say that ‘this is only the beginning’ as the company aims to broadcast both ‘fresh British commissions’ and ‘US acquisitions’.

Also the next day after ‘Virgin Media’ launches, the company will also be launching a magazine called ‘which again is battling Sky’s recently re-launched magazine ‘SkyMag’ however magazines are said to be a 'dying' form of media.

In addition, ealier in the year Virgin media partnerned with Setanta Sports in a bid to rival Sky Sports News.

Q&A with Sir Richard Branson:

• http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/a76642/qa-sir-richard-branson.html

Virgin to show channel 4 content in HD

• http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a77218/virgin-to-show-channel-4-content-in-hd.html